![](https://westseattleblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/kaj2-e1424391600387.jpg)
(First 3 photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
Before his appearance tonight at the Central Library downtown, basketball legend turned award-winning author Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made a side trip to West Seattle, delighting the students of Sanislo Elementary School, even autographing a basketball (held by Sanislo principal Bruce Rhodes, photographed with 5th grader Robert Chambers, student host for the event).
![](https://westseattleblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/kaj5-e1424393721268.jpg)
Right now, he’s promoting his newest book written for a youth audience, “Streetball Crew Book Two: Stealing the Game.” An earlier book, “What Color Is My World? The Lost History of African-American Inventors“, won the NAACP’s award for Best Children’s Book.
![](https://westseattleblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/kaj1-e1424392730250.jpg)
Sanislo third-graders are reading “What Color Is My World?” for Black History Month; Abdul-Jabbar asked if anyone could tell him who invented potato chips, and when a student gave him the answer (George Crum), he said he was pleased she’d paid attention to the book and would see her at her Ph.D. graduation someday. By the way – that was part of his message to the kids: It’s never too soon to start thinking about college. One student declared he wanted to play basketball in college and Abdul-Jabbar said, that’s great, but what are you going to *study*? P.S. If you’re trying to remember, we’ll save you the search – he left the NBA in 1989, at age 42, with a long list of achievements you can read about here.
P.S. Here’s a Sanislo library pic from Abdul-Jabbar’s feed, with a reminder about his SPL event:
7:00p PT—Reading / Talk / Q & A / I'm signing at the Seattle Public Library 2nite
1000 4th Ave
Seattle, WA 98104 pic.twitter.com/97RmHoLvgc
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) February 19, 2015
And a pic our crew Instagrammed while there:
Seated, center, in the IG photo is Sanislo librarian Craig Seasholes, who’s brought many a memorable event/writer to the library over the years.
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